How to Balance Music and Love
by D-man133
Summary: He was the new kid. Her band needed him. She needed him for another reason
1. Moving In

How to Balance Music and Love

How to Balance Music and Love

Summary: He was the new kid. Her band needed him. She needed him for another reason.

Ages: Cloud, 17. Yuffie, 15. Vincent, 18. Tifa, 16.

Couples: Cloud x Yuffie, Vincent x Tifa, Reno x Elena.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or the songs in the story.

-

Chapter 1: Moving In.

"Ready to go son?" A blond middle aged woman called to her son.

"Just a second mom." The spike haired blond boy replied to his mother. He was happy to be moving back to his childhood town. He missed some friends he made there. He took his guitar case from his now empty room and walked out into the hallway to where his mother was standing at the front door, waiting for him dressed in a green dress and not much make-up on her face or any jewelry. Everything was already packed and she wasn't going anywhere in town, so there was no use dressing up fancy.

"Is that everything, Cloud?" She asked addressing him by his name. She didn't really want to move back to her old hometown, but there was no way she could find a job in the city of Midgar.

"Yeah, mom, I just need to put my guitar with my amps." He said walking out of his Midgar home for the last time. He liked his life here a little bit, but it felt good to leave and go back to his roots.

He walked over to the Uhaul trailer attached to his mothers silver Toyota Prius. Good thing he was driving his black Harley Fat Boy motorcycle. He would be caught dead in a car as girly as the Prius. He opened the trailer and looked over at the left side where his Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier amp stack stood next to his Mesa Boogie Lone Star combo amp. He placed his guitar case up in between the combo and amp stack where it was tight and couldn't move. He double checked the ropes that were holding them all up and smiled with relief when they were tight enough to stop them from moving on the road.

He shut the trailer door as his mom slowly walked towards her car. "Let's get going Cloud." She said to her son opening her car door. "Don't forget your jacket and helmet."

"I know mom." He said walking over to his motorcycle. He smiled at his black Harley Fat Boy. He picked up his brown leather jacket that was hanging over the seat and put it on over his black t-shirt. He sat in his seat and started up the engine. He loved the sound it made every time the engine roared. It made him feel more alive somehow. He didn't know how, but it made his motorcycle is one of his favorite things in the world. He placed his helmet over his spiked hair as his mom pulled out from the driveway. He took one quick glance at his house and thought back to all the time he had living in Midgar and quickly followed his mother out of the parking lot and away from the place that was once his home.

-

Elsewhere… Three friends were busy working on their band. A short haired young girl was altering between her transparent red colored Washburn WI64 Idol guitar and her Yamaha keyboard. She was doing good rhythm wise, but she couldn't play lead to save her life. She hated herself for that sometimes, although she tried learning lead, she couldn't play a solo worth anything.

A long haired young man was playing his red colored Warwick Vampyre NT 4 string bass pretty well. Unlike the guitar playing girl, he was really good at keeping his beat thanks to his experience from his old band.

Finally, a young woman was sitting at her black colored standard five piece drum set made by Ludwig banging on her bass drum and tom drum as well as one of her three Yamaha cymbals. She was able to keep up with the bassist, but she still wanted to improve and be able to at least do a drum solo every now and then.

The only thing missing was a good lead guitar and a singer. The guitarist could sing, but she can't multitask and that is the biggest problem with the band. The bassist was finally sick of trying to sound good and turned off his Ampeg amp stack his bass was plugged into. "Stop, stop, stop" He said to his other band mates. He looked at the guitarist who was turning off Mesa Boogie Stiletto ACE amp stack and her Peavey combo keyboard amp. "Yuffie, seriously, you need to try hard at this whole thing." He said to her with a little aggravation in his voice. "If you want to get better you need to try harder at doing lead."

"I was trying my best." The young guitarist said to the man. "Vincent, you know that it's been a pain in the ass for me to even play my guitar with my slow reflexes in my hands." She said putting her guitar back on its stand. Her whole problem was her slow reflexes. She could move her finger fast enough to do a decent solo no matter who many times she tried. That was also why she couldn't multitask.

The drummer was getting tired of him bringing her down. "Vincent, take it easy on her." She stood up from her seat and walked towards them both. "You know Yuffie's problem. You need to stop."

Vincent sighed with frustration. He could never when an argument when she got involved. "Sorry, Tifa." He always felt bad after her telling him stuff like that. The last thing he wanted to do was get his girlfriend mad at him. He looked over at his girlfriend's best friend. "Sorry Yuffie."

"It's okay Vincent." Yuffie said sitting down on her couch. They always practiced at her house because her father was barely even there. Come to think of it, Vincent and Tifa never met Yuffie's dad. He must've rarely been home due to work or something like that. But, changing the subject. Something was catching Yuffie attention outside. Vincent and Tifa looked in the same direction as her and saw someone moving into the house across the street from her own. "I'm getting new neighbors." She said exciding. She started jumping up and down on her couch.

Tifa was looking at the motorcyclist taking off his helmet. She recognized the spike blond hair, but she couldn't really remember. Then she thought back to her childhood. That's it! She knew him as a kid. "Cloud! He moved back!" She was also friends with him on Myspace, but she's been barely online since she joined the band. "I can't believe it!"

"Cloud?" Vincent asked her. He felt a little jealous towards the blond boy because of how she was talking about him like that.

"He's an old friend of mine." She started to explain to the other two people in the room. "He lived here before you guys and moved away seven years ago." She just remembered why. His father's company was relocating. "I wonder why he moved back." Wait! Where's his father? "What happened to his dad? I don't see him anywhere."

"Maybe he'll be here later." Vincent said trying to hide his jealousy. Too bad it didn't work very well.

Tifa noticed it instantly. "Don't worry Vince." She put her arm around him. "I still love you." She kissed him gently on the cheek to assure him she was telling the truth.

Yuffie just rolled her eyes at the sight. That kind of thing made her feel sick. "Get a room." She always told herself she was too young for that kind of thing. She then noticed some things in the Uhaul trailer that was like gold to her. A guitar case and amps. "He's a guitarist!!" She yelled jumping to conclusions that they belonged to him.

"Oh yeah," Tifa said to the young girl. "He played guitar and sang lead vocals for his old band after the vocalist died." The band he was in, Soldier, also had a Myspace page. She was friends with them until they recently broke up. It must've been because Cloud was moving away from Midgar and back to Nibelheim.

That was it. He was the person they needed. He could use her mic and sound system and be lead guitar and lead vocals for her band. "Does he play solos?"

"Solos? Yes." Tifa replied. She was amazed when she first heard their songs. "He's an amazing lead guitarist."

Now it's official, they needed him. She needed to meet him. "I'm going over to help out. Be a good neighbor." She ran towards the door.

Tifa and Vincent both knew this couldn't end well if she tried to rush him into joining, but helping him move in might help them get a chance to get to know him better. Tifa knew he changed a lot since he lived in Nibelheim before. So, they both stood up and followed their young friend out of her house.

End of Chapter 1

-

Author's Note: I was getting tired of doing Naruto fics, so I decided to change this one up and bring it back. If you remember the older version, you'll notice I worked on my description and changed a good number of things. Look forward to the next chapter.


	2. An Offer Turned Down

How to Balance Music and Love

Summary: He was the new kid. Her band needed him. She needed him for another reason.

Ages: Cloud, 17. Yuffie, 15. Vincent, 18. Tifa, 16.

Couples: Cloud x Yuffie, Vincent x Tifa, Reno x Elena.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or most of the songs in the story.

-

Chapter 2: An Offer Turned Down

As Cloud was unpacking everything from the Uhaul, he saw a figure running towards the house, correction, running towards him. He thought of only two options to get out of this situation, move out of the way and let the figure run past him, or move out of the way and trip the figure. He chose to just move out of the way and let the figure run past him. When he saw that it was a young girl run past him, he was just confused. Too bad the trailer was behind him, because she ran into that thing face first.

Cloud went over to help her up the moment she fell onto the pavement. "Are you okay?" He asked her helping her up. He noticed she had kind of an Asian look to her and he thought it was a little cute, but she looked only fifteen years old or something. He also noticed she was dressed in a green tank top and tan short shorts with knee socks and a pair of black Hurley sneakers. She really did look cute, but Cloud knew she was young and didn't even think of anything other than that fact. "Sorry about that. It's a reflex."

He noticed the look on her face when she looked up at him. "Don't worry about it." She said to him. He did notice she was looking confusing at his blue glowing eyes. "Why do your eyes glow like that?"

He was asked that question a lot in the past. "My dad worked at a nuclear plant and I would go with him every bring-your-child-to-work day. Guess I inhaled some of the nuclear fumes or something." He was so used to answering that question he would just say that every time someone asked. He decided it was a good time to introduce himself to her. "I'm Cloud Strife."

"Yuffie Kisargi." Was all she said to him. An Asian name, of course. He was right, she is an Asian girl. "I live next door." She said finally. He knew by her saying that she stopped thinking what she was thinking before. "So, do your eyes also glow in the dark or something?"

That was the first time someone asked him that. "I don't know. I haven't looked in a mirror with the lights off before." He answered her. He thought whoever does that is mentally ill or is just seriously bored out of their minds.

"Yeah, who does that?" Yuffie asked him. Good thing she didn't suggest that to him. He would've thought she was crazy or something. "I was also wondering if I could help you and your mom unpack all your stuff."

"That would be helpful. Alright, just be careful with my amps." He warned her.

Little did he know that she also played had amps from Mesa Boogie. "I own Mesa Boogie tube amps also. I'll be careful." Little did she know that she shocked him enough to stop him from moving.

He could help but ask… "You play guitar too?"

"Yeah, but I only do rhythm, because I have slow reflexes and the hand-eye coordination of a bat." She explained. Her little joke made him start laughing by the way she compared herself to a bat. When he stopped she decided to continue. "I play a Washburn Idol through Mesa Boogie Stiletto  
ACE stack."

"Not bad." He said to her. "Washburn is okay, but I like my guitar better." He didn't tell her what his guitar was though.

"Okay, how about I help you and you show me your guitar." She said handing him his guitar case. It looked like the case to a single cut model like a Les Paul or something.

"If you can't tell by the case, then alright." He replied to her. It was kind of obvious with the case, but he figured she's seen other guitars with that type of case. He thought that when he took the case from her and then saw two more people coming, a boy around his age and another girl. He didn't know the boy, but he recognized the girl.

"Seriously Yuffie, you shouldn't just run over here on your own." The girl said complaining to Yuffie who was still in the Uhaul.

Cloud decided to surprise the girl and let her know he remembers her. "Take it easy on her, Tifa. She did just get some new neighbors."

Tifa was shocked to know that he remembered her after all those years. "You remember me Cloud?"

"I visit your Myspace page all the time. You have grown up, but you'll always be the kid I remember." He looked over at the guy and thought back to a picture Tifa had on her page with someone that looked like him but with shorter hair. "You must be Vincent." He said to him. She put a caption saying his name and that he was her boyfriend.

"Yes, and you must be Cloud." Vincent held out his left hand to shake it. Cloud gently shook it not wanting to leave an impression that he's a tough guy or a bad ass or anything. He did notice something about Vincent's eyes. They were red. "I wear contacts." Vincent explained to Cloud telling that he was curious about his eyes. "Why do your eyes glow?"

Before Cloud could answer the cliché question, Yuffie answered for him. "He used to go to a nuclear power plant with his dad and he breathed some of the nuclear fumes." She jumped out of the trailer and handed Vincent a box. "And don't ask him if they glow in the dark. He doesn't know."

Vincent just stared at her in confusion. He wasn't going to asked in they glow in the dark. "Who would ask something as stupid as that?"

"She did." Cloud said walking passed Yuffie with his guitar case and Mesa Boogie Lone Star combo amp. He wasn't sure what he did, but he was sure that Yuffie was or going to be upset with Vincent.

-

After the finished unpacking they were all pretty worn out. Good thing Cloud's mom was nice enough to bring them lemonade to drink. As they laid down in Cloud's new yard sipping their glasses of lemonade, Yuffie decided it was time for Cloud to show them his guitar. "Alright Cloud," said the young girl standing up. "Time to show us you guitar."

Cloud lazily stood up from his spot on the yard sighing. "You seriously need some more patience, but I guess I could show it to you guys, now." He stood up from his spot followed by Tifa and Vincent as he walked towards the house with Yuffie walking next to him.

As they walked through Cloud's new house… Yuffie, Vincent, and Tifa beheld his dining room, kitchen, living room, and were going up the stairs if cloud didn't stop them. "All that's up there is the bathroom, storage loft, and my mom's room." He opened a door next to the stairway. "This is my room."

They all thought he was joking. They were looking at a room that looked like it was a six by five length with a closet and a window. With his amp stack and dresser in there, they were surprised his single person bed fit.

"This is a room?" Yuffie asked. Her bedroom was twice as big. "It's a little… Little."

Cloud didn't take it as an insult at all. "I don't need much room. This is fine with me." He didn't like large areas. It made him feel a little nervous and unprotected. He picked up his case from his closet and put it on his bed. "Ready?" He opened his case in front of both of them.

They were all shocked to see that his guitar was an Ebony colored Gibson Les Paul Custom. "A Gibson?! This thing is so nice!" Yuffie said in shock. She was personally expecting an Epiphone Les Paul or another single cut guitar, but never a Gibson or a Les Paul from the Gibson custom shop.

"Yeah," Cloud said to the three other people in his room. "I used to play a Fender, but after I got this from dad, I've been playing it ever since. I love it." He closed the case back up and out of their sight.

"What happened to Papa Strife anyways?" Tifa asked calling him by the old nickname she gave him when she was little.

"There was an accident at the nuclear plant." Cloud started putting his guitar back in the closet. He was okay talking about this because he was quick to get over something losing someone. "He was killed instantly."

"Wow!" Yuffie said in shock. She knew it was a kind of dark subject, so she decided to change the subject. "Let's talk about something else. So, what music are you into?" She did notice a small CD player at the head of his bed.

"Well, I'm into a lot of Alternative Rock and Post-Grunge. I did play Alternative Rock back in my old band." Cloud replied sitting back on his bed getting ready to unpack a box with some small things he owns.

Yuffie was now sure that he was the one they needed for her band. "Sweet. You see we're forming a Post-Grunge band and we are seriously lacking a good lead guitar and vocals…" She looked at him to make sure she had his full attention. "And I was wondering if you would like to try out for the band."

Cloud then looked down towards his red carpeted floor. "I'm going to have to say no." Tifa, Yuffie, and Vincent stared at him in shock. They thought he would be more than happy to join. "I need to find a job and help my mom around the house. We just moved here." He stood up and looked at them. He knew by looking at them that they were disappointed in him. "Maybe some other time."

Yuffie wasn't going to take that for an answer. She was beyond furious with him. "Whatever! Just stay here and live a dull life! We don't need you!" She stormed out of Cloud's room and his house.

"Yuffie!" Tifa said shocked at her best friend. This was the first time she saw her react like that. She turned her head to her old childhood friend. "I have no idea where that came from."

"This band most be pretty important to her." Vincent said in as much shock as Tifa.

"I could tell." Was all Cloud said staring at his open door. "You guys should talk to her."

Tifa and Vincent made their way to the door. "We'll see you around Cloud." Vincent said looking back at him. "We'll do what we can about Yuffie."

"Yeah, see you around." Cloud said shutting the door behind him. He could tell that the band was important to Yuffie, but the question is, why? Why would a band be so important to someone as young and high spirited as she was? A question he didn't think would have an answer any time soon. He just decided to stop thinking about it and get back to unpacking some of his things.

End of Chapter 2

-

Author's Note: I wanted to give Cloud an entirely different guitar in this version. I was going to go with a PRS, but I already have a story with two people playing PRS guitars and didn't want to use them again. So, I remembered trying a Les Paul out in L.A. and really enjoying it. That's why I decided to give him a Les Paul, even though a lot of band stories have Les Paul players.


	3. Mama Strife's Assurance and a New Friend

How to Balance Music and Love

Summary: He was the new kid. Her band needed him. She needed him for another reason.

Ages: Cloud, 17. Yuffie, 15. Vincent, 18. Tifa, 16.

Couples: Cloud x Yuffie, Vincent x Tifa, Reno x Elena.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or most of the songs in the story.

-

Chapter 3: Mama Strife's Assurance and a New Friend

The last thing Cloud unpacked was a picture of him with his two friends back in Midgar, Sephiroth and Zack. Zack was the black haired one and Sephiroth was the one that had gray hair. They weren't with their instruments in the picture, but they did form a band together. Cloud doesn't remember much of that day except that it was after the vocalist died.

He'll always remember the good times with those guys, either playing in the band or just hanging out and playing his Guitar Hero 3. They were all best friends. Sure they had their moment when they argued, but who doesn't? They were humans after all. He even remembered the time when Zack tried to crowd surf at a gig. Too bad they didn't feel like holding him up and didn't catch him. Cloud started laughing remembering that day.

"Having a flashback, Cloud?" Said Cloud's mom outside his bedroom door.

"Yeah," Cloud answered letting her into his room. "Just thinking back to when Zack tried crowd surfing for the first time." He stopped laughing before he started talking. He had some really good self control over that.

"That was funny." She was also at that gig. She was laughing like crazy when it happened. "You loved being in that band didn't you?"

"More than you can imagine." Being in the band was the best thing that's ever happened to him. "It feels good being on stage with your friends and having a good time." He sat down on his bed remembering the crowd of people shouting their band's name. It felt pretty good being in a famous local band.

"I heard you conversation with Tifa and her friends earlier today." She said sitting next to him. Well she couldn't help but listen, she was interested. "I think you should try out and join their band."

Cloud was instantly shocked and confused. "But, mom…" He didn't know what to say to her. He thought she needed his help around the house because dad did a lot of house work whenever he was home.

"I can take care of myself. We did move here for a reason." She assured him. "There's a small place in town that is in my name. I can open up a diner and make enough money to take care of both of us." She wasn't stupid and just move to another town without a plan. She knew about that place for awhile. Good thing she didn't sell it to someone, if she did they would've been in trouble.

"Well you are a good cook." Cloud admitted. If she didn't cook so well, he probably would've stayed in Midgar and lived with Zack until he got his own place. "I guess if I talk to them and work things out… Alright. I'll see what I can do about trying out for the band."

Cloud's mother stood up with a smile on her face. "That's my rock and roll son. Let me know how it goes and invite me to any gig you guys have." She left his room proud of her accomplishment.

Cloud smiled as his mom left the room. He them shut his door and walked over back to his picture frame that had the one of him and his friends. Little did his mother know that it was a double frame and had another picture on the other side of it. He turned it around and looked at the picture of a brown haired girl. His old girlfriend and the old vocalist of the band he was in, Aeris. He was used to losing loved ones, but wasn't sure if he'll ever get over losing her. "Hey Aeris, I moved back to my old hometown. I still miss you." He said talking to the picture. He always told himself he was pathetic for doing this, but he didn't care. He couldn't sleep at night until he talked to her picture. "Good night." He turned the frame around again and laid down on his bed.

He was unsure on how much it would take to get Yuffie to forgive him and even let him try out for her band, but now that he knows that his mother will be alright on her own, he wasn't going to give up until she lets him try out.

-

Meanwhile… Yuffie and Tifa were getting ready for bed themselves. Tifa spent at least every Friday night during the summer in order to get away from her problems at home. Yuffie was just happy to have some company. She spent too much time living alone in her big home.

She was still upset about Cloud turning down her offer. "I don't get it. He seems like someone who has experienced. We could really use him." She laid down on her two person bed covered by a green blanket in her green pajamas. "Why can't he just take care of his mom and be in the band?"

Tifa laid down next to wearing her black night gown. "He must have his reasons." She didn't know about the place that's in Cloud's mom's name either, so she also thought that she needed Cloud to find a job while she does the same thing. "Really, you can't hold this against him."

Yuffie had no choice but to agree. "Guess you're right, as always." How Tifa was always right about anything, she'll never know. It was like she can look into the future and see how to change all the bad things that happen. Then a thought just hit her. "I've got an idea. Maybe we could talk him into joining us for a get together with Reno and the others."

Tifa thought it was a bad idea. "Are you kidding? Reno would drive Cloud crazy." She knew Cloud as the calm and relaxed kid and their friend Reno was a whack job. She remembered when he went to school one day wearing an adult diaper. It was a miracle they didn't suspend him. She would've if she was the principal. "I don't think they would get along very well."

"Well, Cloud and I hit it off pretty good, and I can actually keep up with Reno." She's the only person who can prank Reno as good as he can prank others. "I think they would get along pretty good."

Yuffie noticed that Tifa was ignoring her and getting her laptop from Yuffie's desk. Tifa turned it on and went to her Myspace page that was marked as her home page. "You want to hear Cloud's band? They put up all the songs they thought was their best."

"Sure." Yuffie said walking over to Tifa who was turning up the volume on her laptop.

-

The next day… Cloud was finished showering and was currently looking for some clothes. It was weird to him having his hair down. It was naturally spiked and was only down when wet. He put on a white undershirt before putting on his black button up work shirt and a pair of faded jeans.

We wanted to look good, because he was going to try to convince Yuffie and the others to let him try out for the band today. All he had to do was wait for his hair to dry completely. Too bad he had to answer the door because someone was ringing the bell and his mom already left to work on opening her own diner.

He walked over to the door still drying his hair with a red towel as someone still rang to bell. He answered it and saw Yuffie, Tifa, and a guy with long red hair, well the back was long but not the front. It was an advanced mullet. Cloud was surprised that he was wearing a business suit with his shirt not tucked in and without a tie. "What's up?" He asked them.

"Hey, you must be Cloud." The guy said to him. "Name's Reno, nice to meet you." Reno said walking towards Cloud like he wanted to hug him or something.

"Hi." Cloud said walking back nervously. "Just for the record I don't hug guys." Zack tried doing the same thing and Cloud made him fall on his face.

Reno just walked back away from him. "Don't worry, I'm not gay. I'm just friendly." Reno noticed he was inside of Cloud's house. The one thing he noticed above everything else was Cloud's big screen T.V., a X-box 360, and Guitar hero 3 with a Les Paul controller and an Explorer controller. "You play Guitar Hero?"

"A little." Cloud said. He didn't play as much because he played his real guitar more often. "I play my real guitar more though."

Reno thought of this as a way to challenge Cloud. "Well, let's play. Winner buys lunch for everyone when we get to Pizza Hut." He picked up the Explorer controller and held it in front of Cloud like a scene from that 300 movie he saw a while back. "Do you accept my challenge?" He held it in reverse because he was left handed, but he thought it was still comfortable enough.

Cloud just picked up his Les Paul controller and turned on the game. "I can't turn down a challenge."

Reno thought he had this on in the bag and that he won't have to pay for lunch, until Cloud picked the song… "Through the Fire and Flames from Dragonforce!?"

"You still think you'll win?" Cloud said taunting him.

They both knew that that was the hardest song in the game. Reno was wondering how Cloud unlocked that song. One thing was true, Reno was in trouble.

Tifa and Yuffie sat down on Cloud's black leather couch to enjoy the show. They knew that this was going to be a good show

-

It was no surprise that Cloud won. It was a surprise that Reno got less than half the points that Cloud got. Reno was looking pretty bad right now.

"So, are we going to lunch now?" Cloud asked them as Reno still stared at the screen. It was no surprise that Cloud got such a high score, he was an amazing player. If he could get a score so good in this… How good is he at the real thing? "I'll have a large meat lovers' pan pizza." He said to Reno as if he was a waiter.

"We're meeting some others there in a few minutes." Reno said getting out of his trance.

Yuffie looked at the screen fully. She was amazed by Cloud's score. Too high for her to count. He got a perfect score. She knew then that she had to find some way to get him into her band.

End of Chapter 3

-

Author's Note: If you notice in the FF7 game and the movie, Reno is holding his weapon in his left hand and you hold your weapon with the hand you write with because it's supposed to be stronger. So, Reno is left handed. Also, I did read in Game Informer magazine that that song is the hardest one in the history of Guitar Hero games.


	4. Hanging Out with Reno

How to Balance Music and Love

Summary: He was the new kid. Her band needed him. She needed him for another reason.

Ages: Cloud, 17. Yuffie, 15. Vincent, 18. Tifa, 16.

Couples: Cloud x Yuffie, Vincent x Tifa, Reno x Elena.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or most of the songs in the story.

-

Chapter 4: Hanging Out with Reno

Cloud, Yuffie, and Tifa rode to Pizza Hut with Reno in his black midsize Hummer H3. It had crappy gas mileage, but Reno and Cloud both agreed that it was a real man's car, even if it was the midsize H3. Reno drove because it was obviously his car, He let Cloud ride shotgun while Tifa and Yuffie were more than happy to sit in the back. What Tifa and Yuffie didn't expect was that Cloud and Reno were talking about guitars the whole way.

"You know Reno; you are really good at Guitar Hero." Cloud admitted. "You got a higher score than when I first tried playing that song. You have no idea how long it took me to unlock that song." Cloud remembered that he stopped counting his tries after ten.

"Thanks." Reno said accepting Cloud's complement. "I guess I just picked up a lot from playing Guitar Hero at my friends place and playing guitar in a real band."

Cloud was a little surprised to know that Reno was in fact in a band. "You play in a band?"

Reno saw the look of confusion on his face and decided to tell him the whole story. "Yeah, I play in a Metalcore band, but I'm work on a solo Blues project for fun. My dad was a Jazz guitarist and wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but I didn't like playing Jazz. He literally disowned me when he found out I joined a Metalcore band…"

"What about your mother?" Cloud was wondering how a father could disown his son without the mother trying to stop him.

"My mom died when I was two. Back to the story… I've been living with my friend and his dad ever since. For awhile I've been playing an Ibanez RG, but I always had to tune it because of its tremolo bridge. I thought I was doomed to playing it until I found a lefty Schecter S-1, it doesn't have tremolo, but it kicks more ass than my Ibanez did. Since then I've been playing that in the Metalcore band and my Blues project." Reno finished taking a breath. He hasn't told many people his life story, but when he mentions being in a band, people ask him everything that involves his life story because to him, music is his life.

"Well, you're a versatile player then." Cloud admitted. Reno was more versatile than he was. Really, from Jazz to Metalcore and also doing Blues on the side. "That is something to be admired."

"Thanks, not many people think that. When I tell people that they always think of how depressed I should be with my dad disowning me, but I do crazy things to prove that it'll never affect me." Yuffie did always wonder why he was such a whack job she first met him, and now she knows.

"So that explains it." Yuffie said leaning forward. "I still remember when you wore an adult diaper to school."

Hearing that made Cloud laugh, because he remembered back when Zack did the same thing. Except that's the only thing he was wearing that day. "An old friend of mine did the same thing. He got in so much trouble at school that day."

"Really?" Reno remembered coming up with an excuse and got off with a warning. "The only thing with me was I had to go home and change. Only because I said I was in a rush and didn't want to miss more class than I already did."

"Hm, He just said he wanted to relive his baby days." Cloud replied. He remembered Zack not being good at excuses at all. "That got him suspended for a couple of weeks."

"Seriously, we've got to hang out more often." Reno said to Cloud. Tifa told him that Cloud would get annoyed by him, so much for her knowing him.

Tifa was also blown away by how well Cloud and Reno were getting along. She thought Cloud would freak out and never want to see him again. "You really have changed, Cloud."

"Yeah, well having a crazy best friend and an even crazier girlfriend did that to me." He said not thinking and not realizing after that he mentioned Aeris.

"Girlfriend?!" This was the first time Tifa heard of his old girlfriend.

"Hey are we almost their?" Cloud said changing the subject. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk about it.

But, Yuffie was the most curious about his old girlfriend. "So, who was she?" She asked Cloud.

"I don't want to talk about it." Cloud said looking out the window.

Now it was Reno's turn to change the subject. "Hey, we're almost their. Who's hungry?"

-

While Tifa and Yuffie went back to Yuffie's house… Reno and Cloud hung out at Cloud's place for awhile. Reno wanted to meet Cloud's mom after hearing Cloud talk about how she's opening up a diner and is such a good cook. Cloud also told him about his Gibson and not only did he want to see it for himself, he also wanted to hear Cloud play it.

He liked it a lot, but was blown away by how good Cloud could play. He was shocked to see Cloud doing all kinds of solo techniques including tapping, sliding, and shredding.

"You are amazing, Cloud." Reno said with shock. "I think you should try out for Yuffie's band in the making." He called it that because he knew they really needed some help.

"I want to, but I never got around to asking her today. I said I couldn't yesterday, but that was before I found out that my mom doesn't need me to find work or help her out in any way." Cloud replied to Reno's words. He tried to ask her at the restaurant, but he was distracted by other people asking him about his guitar and stuff like that.

"I'm also impressed that you use Mesa Boogie amps too." Reno said. He also had Mesa Boogie amps. "I use a Mesa Boogie Lone Star stack myself. I love it more than I loved my Randall stack." Reno remembered back when he had his Randall MTS amp stack. He was really glad he switched to Mesa Boogie.

"Yeah? I don't blame you. I've used Peavey amps, Marshall amps, and Fender amps, and none of them are as good as my Mesa Boogie amps I have now." He remembered going from store to store trying out a bunch of different amps and finding Mesa Boogie as the best ones for him. "The Dual Rectifier head just works for me better than anything else."

"Yeah… Let's go do something else." Reno said a little bored. He liked talking about amps and guitars, but not all the time. "Like watch some T.V. on your big screen." He leaned back on Cloud's desk and unexpectedly knocked down Cloud's picture of him and his friends. "Oh, my bad." He picked it up and noticed the picture of the brown haired girl. "Is this your ex girlfriend? She's pretty hot."

Cloud quickly snatched it from him and put it back on his desk. "Yes, I don't want to talk about it, okay?" He said in a tone that was more serious than usual.

"Fine." Reno said not wanting to get anymore into the subject. He didn't want to bother Cloud and end up getting hurt. "I also have troubles with the ladies so I'll just leave it as it is." He made his way out of Cloud's room.

But, he noticed that Cloud didn't follow him and was instead talking to the picture of the girl. "Sorry about that Aeris. He didn't mean to." That was a little weird to hear, but Reno wasn't one to judge because he had some issues of his own to deal with.

When Cloud walked out of his room, he knew from the look on Reno's face that he heard him talking to the picture. "I'm pathetic aren't I?"

"Not that much." Reno said. "Not as badly as me."

They started walking towards Cloud's living room. "Really?" Cloud asked his red headed new friend.

"Yeah, I can't even tell my friend Elena that I like her more than a friend. So, I think of her during my private time…" Reno was now thinking of ways to put the next set of words together. "My hand wasn't cutting it and last week I masturbated into a cantaloupe."

Reno was right. And Cloud thought that he was the pathetic one, Reno was twice as bad. "A cantaloupe?"

"Well, I softened it up in the microwave-"

"I don't want to hear anymore." Cloud said stopping Reno from continuing. "It's official. You're the pathetic one." The sat down on the leather couch, but with a good distance between each other. Cloud grabbed the remote and turned on his T.V. and hid Direct TV receiver. "So what's on?"

"Do you have IMF?" Reno asked. It was personally his favorite channel because of all the music from other countries.

"Yes I do." Cloud said changing the channel.

As they watch T.V. Cloud knew that he was going to fit in here pretty well, but he also knew that he'd have to tell someone about Aeris eventually.

End of Chapter 4

-

Author's Note: The whole masturbating into fruit thing is not an original idea of mine. I got it from the Good Luck Chuck movie and I just thought it would be funny. And I'm giving Reno the Schecter S-1 because it is my favorite guitar and am trying to get one of my own.


	5. Trying Out

How to Balance Music and Love

How to Balance Music and Love

Summary: He was the new kid. Her band needed him. She needed him for another reason.

Ages: Cloud, 17. Yuffie, 15. Vincent, 18. Tifa, 16.

Couples: Cloud x Yuffie, Vincent x Tifa, Reno x Elena.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or most of the songs in the story.

-

Chapter 5: Trying Out

Today was finally the day Cloud was to try out for Yuffie's band. He called her last night and talked to her about it. She said she was going to show up the next day to listen to Cloud play guitar and sing to know if he should really be in her band.

He was getting his Les Paul, combo amp, and his effect pedals ready when he heard her knock on the front door of his home. He quickly walked over to the door with a smile on his face when he saw Yuffie through the window. He swiftly opened the door. "Hey Yuffie, I'm ready when you are." He said to her excitingly.

She was just as excited about this as he was. "I can't wait to hear you play." She already had plans to test him to see if he was worth having in the band or not. "So, are we going into your room?"

"Yes." He replied walking towards his room. He felt ready for anything she threw at him.

As they entered his room, Cloud sat down on his bed and picked up his Les Paul. Yuffie was now going to tell him her plan for testing him. "Alright, I'm going to test you on strumming, picking, soloing for guitar, and slow and fast singing. Pretty much everything." She sat down in a metal fold-out chair Cloud had in his room. "I'll name a song and you play the part I want to hear."

"Alright." He said turning on his combo amp. He was more than ready for this. "What's first?"

She looked over at his CD collection. She had to choose a song he knew or else it wouldn't work. "Okay… For strumming…" She noticed that he had 3 Doors Down's album, Thirteen Day. "… Let Me Go, from 3 Doors Down."

"I know that song." He started playing the intro to the song perfectly. She was amazed by how well he could quickly switch cords and blended everything together. He finished the verse and looked up at her. "What's next?"

"Hm…" She had to look back over at his CD collection. "For picking…" One CD he had stood out from among everything else, Metallica's Black album. "Nothing Else Matters from Metallica."

"First Metallica song I learned." He put his pick down and began to finger pick the intro to the song exactly the same way it was recorded. She loved that song and memorized it and he was getting everything right.

"Stop." She said before he finished the verse of the song. "That was perfect." So far, he was perfect at everything she threw at him. She had to look back at his CDs for a solo, and she had to challenge him. She had it; she noticed he had the Led Zeppelin Greatest Hits collection. "Play the solo from Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin."

"Why didn't you ask me to play that whole song? It would save me a lot of trouble of having to switch from song to song." That was the one song he knew by heart, because he made it a goal to learn that when he was twelve. Now he practices by playing Stairway to Heaven. He got started on the solo.

If she didn't use the bathroom earlier, she would've pissed her pants from shock. That was a song she wasn't able to learn and hear was the guy who was trying out for her band and matching the solo perfectly. She didn't even stop him when he finished the solo and still played the ending. She was even more shocked when he started singing along. His voice was deeper than Robert Plant's voice, but it still matched Stairway to Heaven. He even sang the last soft part of the song.

"Well…?" He said finished singing and playing guitar. "Am I in?"

"You…" Yuffie didn't know what to say. She thought he was good, but not that good at guitar or singing. "…Are better than anyone else in this town!!" You are definitely in!!" He stood up from her seat. "Amazing! You did all that on a Les Paul and sang. I really should've asked for the whole song." She felt stupid now because she didn't.

"Well, Jimmy Page played Les Paul guitar, and many others do too. I just think they're perfect all and all." He said about his Les Paul. He loved playing that thing more than he played any other guitar he's played before in his life. "I like them like you like Washburns."

"Yeah? I do like all my Washburns." She said admitting that she had more than one Washburn guitar. "Besides my Idol, I also have an X30 and an acoustic." She sat down on his bed next to him. She was used to answering what guitars she had as much as Cloud was used to answering questions about his eyes.

"Why Washburn though?" He asked. He knew that Washburn was famous for making heavy, durable guitars and she was a small girl. That has been bothering him for awhile.

"My father." Yuffie answered. "The first time he showed that he really cared for me was when he got me my first guitar, which was a baby acoustic from Washburn. Even when I tried playing lighter guitars, it doesn't feel the same. I'm emotionally attached to Washburns like you and your Les Paul." That was the first time she answered that question. It was a question she didn't want to answer again, for personal reasons. "I don't really want to answer anymore questions. Let's go tell Vincent and Tifa about your audition and hang out with them for awhile." She walked towards the door. "There's not much of a point to practice without any songs written."

She did make a good point. He just smiled and put his guitar back in its case. He thought she was really something else. How could some one be so cheerful and play a genre like Post-Grunge? He thought it was different, because a lot of Post-Grunge music can be depressing. "Alright. Let's get going." He opened the door and she walked out before he could. She was faster than him after all.

"I'll give them a quick call and let them know we'll be at my place." She said walking in front of him and pulling her cell phone from her pocket. She just had a standard picture phone, nothing too special. She didn't like anything too fancy.

"Alright." He found it a good time to get the front door for her as she started dialing one of their phone numbers. He jumped in front of her and opened the door. "After you."

"Thank you." She said walking past him as he held open the door. "Hey Vincent." Why did she call Vincent before Tifa? "I know you're busy with Tifa… It's about the band… Yes Cloud tried out just a few minutes ago…" Yes, Tifa was there with her boyfriend on the other side of the call. "… "He's amazing… Can you two come over to my place? ...Yes its important…" Cloud figured Vincent and Tifa were busy doing something else, and he didn't want to know what. "We're not working on any songs so you don't need to bring your things… Sweet, I'll let him know." She looked over at Cloud as he closed his house door and locked it before following her. "They said they'll be here in a few minutes."

"Cool." Cloud replied not too sure if he said the right thing. "So what are we going to do until then?"

Yuffie decided to finish talking to Vincent. "See you later Vincent… Bye." She hung up and turned back to face Cloud. "We should chat and get to know each other a little better."

"How?" Cloud was a little confused on her style of getting to know someone. She was one of those people you think has very weird and unpredictable ways of getting to know someone.

"Chatting and sharing interest, stuff like that." Yuffie just wanted to get to know him, not torture him until he told her everything about himself. "Like what you like to do besides play guitar and sing?"

"Well…" He started. "I like drawing." It was a pretty good habit to have whenever he got bored or something. He also got a lot of complements for some of the stuff he drew in the past.

-

It didn't take long to get to Yuffie's house since she lived next door to Cloud. He was a little surprised to see the inside of her house. The door lead to the living room and the swinging door in the living room lead to the kitchen that had a door that led to a bathroom. And that was just the first floor.

"The second floor just has another bathroom, a wreck room, my dad's empty room, and my room." Yuffie said to him. "My dad's barely here and I never go in there. So it's always empty except the two days he's here every couple months." She had to explain that to him, why?

"And why did you tell me all that?" Cloud asked curiously. It really wasn't everything he needed to know.

"Just wanted to tell you as… A way to help get to know me better." She said lying.

Too bad for her, he could tell she was lying. "…Okay." He knew she must have her reason for not being honest with him. He knew he had to become better friends with her to earn her trust. "So, you know my other interest. What's yours?"

Yuffie usually wasn't asked that, but she was planning on telling him her other interest anyways. "I have an interest in old Japanese weapons. I even have a shuriken collection." She wanted to show him her collection that was mounted on the wall of her room, but her room was sacred. Only she and Tifa have been in there.

"Interesting." Cloud didn't expect that. She looked too young to even buy weapons.

"My dad used to get them for me because I'm only fifteen." She said to him.

Yep, she was too young. "Oh." Cloud said. "What else can we do until Tifa and Vincent get here?"

"Well, one thing has been bugging me." She really needed to ask him something that she wanted to know for a long time. "I know you played a Fender before you got that Les Paul. Which model did you play?"

"Which model?" Cloud was confused on why she wanted to know that so badly. "I played a Highway One HSS Stratocaster. It was alright, but not as good as my Les Paul."

"Not bad." Yuffie was expecting him to say a standard Stratocaster or something else. He was the first person she met that liked the HSS pickup configuration. Usually people either prefer the single coils or the humbuckers, but not both. That was new to her.

"Yeah, I liked the HSS configuration. I got a good sounding tone out of it." Cloud remembered playing it and every time he would get the right tone. But he also felt the same way about his Les Paul.

"Do you think you could help get this band going?" Yuffie just had to ask him that question. She was beginning to wonder that since she heard him play guitar and sing.

"I can't answer that until we get at least one song down and finished." Cloud answered her. It was the honest truth, he wasn't going to be arrogant and say yes. The last thing he wanted was to have her think he was an arrogant musician.

"Good answer and now for one last question." This was the question she asked everyone who wanted to play a part in her band and only Tifa and Vincent got it right. "Who's Van Halen's real Vocalist?"

Cloud thought she was joking, but it had an obvious answer. "Easy, the answer is David Lee Roth." The first is always the best to him when it came to a band like Van Halen. Not that Sammy Hagar wasn't a good singer, he just wasn't as good as David Lee Roth.

"Good answer." She said agreeing with him. She was a big fan of Van Halen with David. To her, anyone that said Sammy Hagar was Van Halen's real vocalist was either a poser or a cop. But she also knew everyone has a different opinion. She knew that Reno like Sammy better and they were still good friends. "Now let's watch T.V."

Her T.V. wasn't as big as Cloud's, but it worked well enough for her. As she sat next to him and grabbed the remote… A thought just hit her. About the day she introduced Reno to Cloud. Something about Cloud's ex-girlfriend bugged her for some reason and she didn't know why. But, she also had the feeling he wasn't going to tell her about his ex yet, she had to earn her trust just as much as he needed to earn hers.

End of Chapter 5

-

Author's Note: Just felt the need to end it there to get readers curious about the next chapter. If you've read any of my other stories, you would know that I like leaving cliffhangers.


	6. Honesty and Angels

How to Balance Music and Love

How to Balance Music and Love

Summary: He was the new kid. Her band needed him. She needed him for another reason.

Ages: Cloud, 17. Yuffie, 15. Vincent, 18. Tifa, 16.

Couples: Cloud x Yuffie, Vincent x Tifa, Reno x Elena.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or most of the songs in the story.

-

Chapter 6: Honesty and Angels

Vincent and Tifa showed up shortly after and things really did get interesting. Well, in Cloud's point of view it did. They all just exchange past stories as they sat on Yuffie's couches.

First, they talked about past experiences with music. Vincent was the only one that was in a band before and surprisingly enough, he was originally in Reno's band. He had to leave though because he broke his wrist before a gig and they had to replace him. They would've welcomed him back, but he thought it would've been unfair to the bassist that took his place. He was also getting tired of Metalcore.

Tifa had a different story. She took lesson and played a snare drum in the middle school orchestra. After listening to the drum work of Dave Grohl in Nirvana, she switched from classical to more of a grunge sound. Now is in working on this Post-Grunge band with Yuffie.

Cloud also explained how he took guitar lessons in Nibelheim, and then moved to Midgar and finished his lessons there. After that met Zack and Sephiroth, and formed Soldier. He was very careful not to mention Aeris and the others chose to just to ignore it for now.

Cloud knew some of Yuffie's music past, but not all of it. She did tell him that she had to teach herself because her dad wasn't around enough to take her to lessons so he bought her books and she learned that way. She wanted to do Post-Grunge because of bands like Bush and other bands from the nineties.

What Cloud wanted to know was all the kinds of basses he uses and has used. "Hey Vincent, you didn't tell me about you're gear."

"Hm, I play a Warwick Vampyre NT 4 string through an Ampeg Classic amp stack." Vincent began explaining. "I've been using Ampeg since I switch from my first Fender Bass Amp and I got my Warwick to replace my ESP LTD F404 bass after leaving Reno's band."

"Not bad, but I'm curious on who replaced you." Yuffie said. That did bother her long before Cloud moved back to Nibelheim.

"Elena did." Vincent replied. "She is really good at bass and she has been a big help for Reno. If not for her, he would've never found out about Schecters."

"She plays one too?" Cloud asked curiously. He didn't know much about Schecter either.

"Yeah, she plays a Stiletto Elite 5 bass through a Hartke amp stack. I don't exactly know what amp it is; you'll need to ask her if you get the chance to meet her." Vincent said. "And you becoming good friends with Reno will eventually lead to meeting up with her, Cloud."

"Really, wasn't she at Pizza Hut?" Cloud met a good number of people there. Wasn't she there?

"She doesn't like pizza and she's claustrophobic. She doesn't do well in crowds. It can cause a problem at gigs." Vincent explained as Yuffie got up and walked over to the kitchen.

Cloud just figured she went to get a snack for everyone or something like that. "Oh, alright then let's change the subject. You guys know about Freestyle Jamming?"

"Yeah," Tifa replied to her old friend. "Someone comes up with a riff or beat and a friend comes up with something quickly while that person is playing his or her instrument. Its how we practice, but why did you bring it up?"

"Because, it's something I've been doing in Soldier since I first started." Cloud replied to them. "That's probably how we even formed in the first place."

Yuffie just walked in and placed a plate in what looked like sugar cookies on the coffee table, but something seemed to be bothering her now. "Alright now, fess up. Tell us about your ex girlfriend."

This shocked everyone in the room, even Tifa who was trying to stop Yuffie from asking about that. "Y-Yuffie!!"

"Can it Tifa!! I can't really trust him until I know." Everyone in the room could tell by the tone in Yuffie's voice that she was abnormally serious.

"I… I can't tell you." Cloud said standing up slowly. "Not yet." No one said anything as Cloud made his way towards the door.

"Wait!" Yuffie said running after him. She wasn't going to take that. There was still something she needed to get straight. She couldn't ignore the fact that he didn't mention her at all and she was the band's former vocalist. Can she really trust him in this band if he can't even tell her why he's doesn't talk about his ex girlfriend. "Can I trust you?" She asked him calmly grabbing his shoulder.

"It depends on what you can believe in." Cloud replied opening the door and looking back at her with his eyes. Since it was getting dark out Yuffie noticed something. Cloud's eyes were starting to glow. To anyone else he would've looked a little strange, but he looked almost angelic to her. He noticed that she was blushing at the sight of his eyes. "Are they glowing?" He asked her.

She just nodded unable to find the ability to say anything.

"I'll write a riff and see you guys tomorrow?" Cloud asked slightly chuckling.

"…The day after." Yuffie said finally finding words to say. "Vincent has work tomorrow."

"Alright. I'll see you then." Cloud said walking away, closing the door behind him.

"You alright Yuffie." Tifa said walking over to her friend who was still blushing. "You look like you just saw a ghost or something."

"I saw an angel…" Said Yuffie before falling to the floor unconscious.

"Yuffie!!" Tifa yelled as she and Vincent ran to help the young girl.

-

As Cloud laid down on his bed and thought about not only the fact the fact that his eyes glow in the dark, but the fact the Yuffie doesn't trust him. He knew she was right though, he was going to have to tell her and the others about Aeris. He knew one person who could help him, but he probably wasn't awake at this time. He pulled his laptop out from under his bed and turned it onto the internet. He instantly checked to see if any of his friends were on AIM and boy Cloud was lucky. There was the name he was looking for. Zack's screen name, CrazyBass26. Zack somehow had advice on any kind of problem and Cloud was curious on how things were going back in Midgar. So Cloud logged onto AIM with his screen name, SpikeGuitarist42, and got onto chatting with his good friend.

_SpikeGuitarist42- Hey Zack, you're still up?_

_CrazyBass26- Cloud, its only 6:30 here._

That's right. There was a three hour time difference between Midgar and Nibelheim. Cloud just remembered that.

_SpikeGuitarist42- My bad. So, how's Midgar without me._

_CrazyBass26- TERRIBLE MAN!! Sephiroth joined and emo band with his brother and they're trying to talk me into being their bassist. _

_SpikeGuitarist42- Well you'll never join them, right?_

_CrazyBass26- RIGHT!! I'm a straight up Rickenbacker playing Rocker of a bassist. Not an EMO POSER!!_

That was one thing admirable about Zack. He wasn't afraid to express himself. He was also a big classic vintage fan. He played a Rickenbacker 4003 bass through Ampeg Classic combo amps, so Cloud knew that it would sound good with Vincent as well.

_SpikeGuitarist42- Alright man, stay true to yourself. By the way, I need some help._

_CrazyBass26- You're on the other side of the country and you still need my help? That's sad._

How did Cloud know he was going to read that? Guess he knew Zack that well.

_SpikeGuitarist42- Are you going to help me or not?_

_CrazyBass26- Alright, alright. What is it this time?_

_SpikeGuitarist42- Well, I'm joining a new band and the guitarist is having trouble trusting me because I won't tell her about Aeris. What do I do?_

_CrazyBass26- If this wasn't a chat I would've interrupted you before but, you joined a new band? The other guitarist is a girl? And why does she want to know about Aeris?_

_SpikeGuitarist42- Yes, we haven't started on any songs yet, but I just joined today. Yes, she's a girl. And I think she wants to know about Aeris because I mentioned her on accident and she got the idea that she can't trust me until I tell her._

_CrazyBass26- Well, you got yourself in a crappy situation. Just tell her it's an abnormally sensitive subject, and that is true in your case._

_SpikeGuitarist42- You're right._

_CrazyBass26- Of course I'm right. By the way, did anyone notice your eyes?_

_SpikeGuitarist42- Yeah and I found out from that guitarist I just told you about that they glow in the dark._

_CrazyBass26- So she noticed too…_

_SpikeGuitarist42- You knew!!_

Cloud was shocked that Zack knew that his eyes glowed in the dark and never told him.

**CrazyBass26 has signed off**

At least he got some good advice from that crazy kid. He signed off AIM and decided to take some free time to check out the Schecter website before heading to bed. He wasn't tired anyways and was curious about them since Reno mentioned the day before. Another thing he was curious about was the way Yuffie was looking at him when she saw that his eyes were glowing. That was almost the same way Aeris looked at him on their first date. Wait then… Nah!! Yuffie was too young for that kind of thing to happen.

End of Chapter 6

-

Author's Note: I just recovered from a sickness that left me in some bad shape for a month and a half and it feels good to be back and working on this fiction again. That's all I have to say and I can't wait to gat started on the next chapter.


	7. Cloud's Lesson and Secrets

How to Balance Music and Love

How to Balance Music and Love

Summary: He was the new kid. Her band needed him. She needed him for another reason.

Ages: Cloud, 17. Yuffie, 15. Vincent, 18. Tifa, 16.

Couples: Cloud x Yuffie, Vincent x Tifa, Reno x Elena.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or the songs in the story.

-

Chapter 7: Cloud's Lesson and Secrets

The next day… Cloud instantly cleaned up from last night and went next door to Yuffie's house for more than one reason. One reason was to apologize for walking out last night and the second was to explain why he didn't want to tell her about his ex-girlfriend.

When he knocked on her door he didn't expect Tifa to answer it. "Tifa, What are you doing her?" He asked her confusingly.

"Oh, I spent the night here." Tifa started to explain. "Yuffie lives alone so I spend a lot of time here to keep her company." Cloud was wondering why he never noticed any else besides Yuffie living there. Even though he wasn't there for very long it was very weird.

"I see…" said Cloud. "Oh, I was hoping to talk to Yuffie. I need to explain some things to her. You know about what happened last night."

"Oh," Tifa said standing aside from the door to let Cloud into the house to let him in. "She's up in her room playing her piano. Be sure to knock first. She doesn't like it when people just walk into her room."

Who does? Cloud didn't like it when people did that either. But Yuffie but express it more than he does because Tifa warned him and that usually doesn't happen with much people. "I'll take you're word for it."

Cloud slowly made his way up the stairs and heard someone playing piano, but it wasn't what he expected. He was expecting someone who wasn't experienced, but what he heard was really good. If she was that good at piano, why wasn't she that good at guitar?

He went to the room where it was the loudest and knocked on the door. When the playing stopped he knew that he found the right door. He was a little surprised at the sight of Yuffie in her green pajamas. Apparently she hasn't gotten ready for the day.

"Oh," Yuffie said a little shyly. "hey Cloud."

Why was she acting shy all of a sudden? "Hey Yuffie, I want to apologize for the way I acted last night. The whole thing about my ex-girlfriend is a very sensitive subject for me and I don't really like talking about it right now." Cloud finished taking a breath. He didn't plan on explaining it all at once, but it must've just slipped all out.

"I know. Tifa told me some possibilities to why you wouldn't want to even mention her." Yuffie said thinking back to when she recovered consciousness last night after Cloud left. "And I shouldn't have forced it. I'm also sorry."

Cloud should've known Tifa would try talking to Yuffie. She's been playing Psychologist since they were little. "Yeah, Tifa's a miracle worker. I forgive you."

"Me too," Yuffie said smiling at him. "by the way, did you hear the song I was playing?"

"Yeah it was really good." Cloud said. He was curious on how she was good at piano but not at guitar.

"Come in." Yuffie said inviting him into her room. This was the first time she invited a guy into her room, but Cloud was somehow special. She didn't know how, but he was somehow different. "I need some help with my guitar playing."

He gave her his full attention as she said that. He also noticed her three Washburn guitars, the WI64 Idol, the black colored X30, and the D10S acoustic guitar. Wow, she did only play Washburns. "So what's the problem?"

"I can't seem to come up with a good riff with my skill to go with the song I came up with on my keyboard." Yuffie said explaining her problem and grabbing her acoustic. "Listen."

She started strumming her guitar, but it was only down strokes. That was her problem. "Yuffie, you never learned how to play using up strokes have you?"

"Up strokes?" She asked instantly ending her playing.

"Let me see your guitar." He said holding out his left hand. She handed him her acoustic guitar not to sure if what he was going to do was good or bad, but she trusted him. "Like this." He did a strum down then did a quick strum up. "That's an up stroke. Just instead of going back to another down stroke, go back up and do and up stroke. It helps a lot for speed." He handed the guitar back to her. "Try it. Be sure to get all the right strings though."

Cloud watched as Yuffie did a few down strokes then tried an up stroke, but it didn't sound right. "I messed up."

"That's okay. You don't always get it right. It also works for string picking. That is a nice guitar though." He had to admit, that was really nice for an acoustic. "I'm usually not into acoustics, but that is a nice guitar."

"How could you not like acoustics?" Yuffie asked him in shock. At least her shyness from before was gone and to him was a good sign. "They are amazing."

"I just never got into them." Cloud replied to her. He never owned an acoustic guitar of his own. "I've been playing electrics since I first started."

"Wow, same as Reno." Cloud was noticing that he was really similar to Reno. "But he could never find an acoustic he liked because he's a lefty."

Cloud didn't realize they didn't make many left handed guitars until he moved back to Nibelheim. It must've been hard for Reno to even find his first guitar. "Wow, so he must have it pretty rough when it comes to finding a good guitar."

"Well, he found his." Yuffie said plainly. "But enough about that. If you won't tell me about your ex, tell me something else. How about you tell me the worst thing you've ever done."

Cloud had to sit up off the floor for this one. "Hm, I've done a lot. I guess the worst one was back when Zack, Sephiroth, and I snuck fireworks into the girls' bathroom at school." He sat down on her bed that was covered by a green blanket. Green must've been her favorite color, he thought. "Not the small ones. Big ones, like Beautiful Blues and Blonde Jokes."

Yuffie didn't know the kind he was talking about, but he said big, so she figured the ones that made the big explosions.

"Anyways, we tied the fusses together, tied them also to some extension fuss. It took ten minutes to go off after we lit the fuss for the fireworks to go off." Cloud needed to take a breath and started to chuckle as he thought back to the day of the incident. "Five girls were in the bathroom at the time they went off."

Even Yuffie was laughing was laughing at the thought of five girls running out of a bathroom lit up by a bunch of fireworks.

"But it also damaged the school building and costing the town thousands to repair it." Cloud said looking down in shame. "At least we didn't get caught."

"Because you three were smart enough to cover your faces?" Yuffie asked curiously.

"If only. The fireworks melted the camera pointing to the entrance to the girls' bathroom." Cloud admitted. Why did he admit that? "We got lucky."

"Wow! You should've just lied to me." Yuffie told him. "I would've thought you were smarter."

"Okay, what about you? What's the worst you've done?" Cloud admitted his worst. Now it was Yuffie's turn.

"Well, mine wasn't as bad as yours, but it was pretty bad." Yuffie said putting her guitar back on its stand. "Before I moved out here, back when I was younger I would pitch a fit every time I wouldn't get what I want." She sat next to him, but at a good distance to avoid any awkwardness. "But one day. I pitch a fit and ended up knocking my father into a stand that had a bucket of blue ink under it." Yuffie was trying so hard not to laugh. "His skin was blue for the rest of the day."

Cloud couldn't stop himself from laughing. Not only at Yuffie's father, but also at the fact that she used to pitch fits. "That's… Oh…" He could say anything he was laughing so hard. "You were such a brat!!"

"That's what you're laughing at?!" Yuffie was pretty mad at Cloud, but she figured she'd play with him too. Physically play with though. She tackled him off her bed and onto the carpeted floor. "You better apologize! Right now!"

"Now way." He wasn't laughing as hard as he was but he was still laughing and wrestling with the small girl. Well, she was small, but strong. No wonder she could handle Washburn guitars.

But, as they were wrestling Tifa walked into the room and that's when things got awkward. "Wow! You guys made up quickly." Tifa said getting the wrong idea seeing Yuffie on top of Cloud. "I guess I am a miracle worker." She mentioned also referring to Yuffie's so called dying love life.

Cloud and Yuffie instantly separated. "It's nothing like that." They both said at the same time.

"We just…"

"Relax, I heard the whole conversation. I was only kidding." Tifa explained still standing in the door way. "By the way, Reno called. He wanted us to meet him at the mall. He included you too, Cloud." She wanted to make sure Cloud knew he was also invited.

"Thanks." Cloud said. By the time he realized it, he was getting pushed out of the room by Yuffie. "What the-?"

"Get out, I need to get dressed!!" She said shoving them both out of the doorway and slamming the door.

"If she keeps slamming that door it's going to break." Tifa said a little annoyed. "Oh well, she's only fifteen, she still has a lot to learn."

"You're telling me." Cloud agreed with Tifa as they both stood there in front of her room. "She didn't even know how to do up strokes on guitar. That's why she was so slow at it."

"Really?" Tifa played drums and didn't really know much about guitar, so this was also news to her.

"Yeah. Now she might also speed up and we'll get this band up and running when we get the time to." Cloud said before Yuffie opened her bedroom door wearing a pair of long jean shorts and a black t-shirt. Another thing Cloud notice she was wearing were fingerless gloves that also covered her wrist.

"Okay let's go." She said walking down the hall towards the stairs.

One thing was bothering Cloud. It was around eighty degrees outside. Why was she wearing gloves? Is she covering up something? Something was indeed wrong with this picture.

End of chapter 7

-

Author's Note: I hit a writer's block after posting up the chapter before. Tried writing something else, got bored with it after the first chapter and deleted it. Seriously, I have the worst luck. Also, I was shaky about doing some original songs in this story, but I've decided not to. I'm open to any suggestion for the next chapter because I might hit another writer's block.


	8. The Mall and Jam Session

How to Balance Music and Love

How to Balance Music and Love

Summary: He was the new kid. Her band needed him. She needed him for another reason.

Ages: Cloud, 17. Yuffie, 15. Vincent, 18. Tifa, 16.

Couples: Cloud x Yuffie, Vincent x Tifa, Reno x Elena.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or the songs in the story.

-

Chapter 8: The Mall and Jam Session

It didn't take too long for Cloud, Yuffie, and Tifa to get to the Nibelheim Mall. It was more like a mini mall compared to what Cloud was used to living in a big city like Midgar. He was used to malls with two floors and a big food court. The Nibelheim Mall had one floor and a rather small food court. Cloud was going to need some time to get used to this.

Due to the size it didn't take long to find Reno in the food court, but he wasn't alone. Two others were with him, a bald dark, skinned man, and a girl with medium length blonde hair.

Unlike when Cloud first met Reno, he wasn't in formal attire. Instead he was wearing a read sleeveless shirt with black vertical stripes, a pair of black jeans, and a pair of combat boots. One thing Cloud notice was a tattoo on Reno's lower left arm, a red lightning bolt coming out of a white cloud.

The other guy was dress in formal attire. What is with that? Cloud was wondering why Reno and now this guy dressed like they were going to a job interview when he met them or something. But, unlike Reno he actually tucked in his shirt and was wearing a red tie.

At least the girl wasn't dressed like that, but she had a very tomboyish look to her that shocked Cloud. The black long sleeve shirt, the faded jeans, and the combat boots, he thought she must've shopped at the same place as Reno. Wait! A thought just hit Cloud. Could this girl be Elena?

"Hey guys! You made it." Reno said running toward them and the other two following him. He stopped running right in front of Cloud. "Almost forgot that you're not a hugger." He looked back at his friends and just remembered to introduce them. "Oh right. Cloud, these are my two close friends, Rude and Elena." He moved forward to whisper in his ear. "Just so your not confused, Elena's the girl and Rude's the guy."

"I figured that." Cloud said calmly.

"So, you're Cloud." The man named Rude said with a deep voice. "Reno told me about you and that you might help Yuffie's band…"

"I am helping actually. I just joined her band yesterday." Cloud replied to the man. Cloud could easily tell Rude was older that Reno, not only by height but also by the fact that he had a full goatee on his face.

"Good." Elena said smiling. "I look forward to hearing some songs." She walked closer to Yuffie so she could whisper into her ear. "How did you get some one as hot as him to join your band? Seriously, his eyes are hypnotizing."

Yuffie whispered back into her ear. "I just got lucky, but he is very good. He also knows his stuff very well. I know about his eyes, he made me lose consciousness because of those things."

"I can hear you." Said Tifa whispering to both of them at the same time making them both blush from embarrassment.

Luckily for them, the guys were talking about other things like music and things regarding that. So, they didn't notice anything going on.

"… So you're in the band with Reno and Elena. I do know the feeling of being onstage with my friends in front of a crowd of screaming fans." Cloud said mentioning his time in his old band. "I've gotten that experience more than once in my time with Soldier back in Midgar-"

"Wait, Soldier?!" Elena said interrupting Cloud. "Midgar's famous underground band, Soldier?! You were in Soldier?!"

"… That's right…" Cloud said taking a few steps back. He's seen that look in her eyes; it was the look of a crazy as hell fan.

"You're Cloud Strife, then!!" Elena pointed out still staring at him. Why didn't she notice him earlier? She quickly pulled out a book and a pen. "I've got to get an autograph!! You are famous to the underground music world!"

She shoved the book and pen into his chest. "Well… I can't say no." He slowly took it from her still a little shocked by her reaction. This was the first time anyone asked him for an autograph. He didn't think Soldier was that famous either. So, he quickly signed his name in a blank page of her book and handed it back to her. "There you go."

She quickly opened it and looked at his name like it was gold. "Oh, the members of my underground group are going to be so jealous!" She looked back at Yuffie with a big smile on her face. "Your band with get big with him."

Yuffie just looked at Cloud confusingly. Cloud just replied by shrugging his shoulders.

"Sorry about that." Reno said apologizing for Elena. "I should have told you she was a member of an underground music group."

"Don't worry about…" Cloud said still a little shaky from his fan attack. "I didn't know Soldier was famous in that world."

"Anyways…" Tifa said staring at Elena who was still staring at Cloud's signature. "Let's go shopping."

"Shopping!?" That got Elena out of her trance as she closed the book and put it back in her pocket. "Sweet! Shopping with friends and Cloud Strife."

"Please." Cloud said blushing a little from embarrassment. "Don't make it such a big deal. It's not like I'm Eddy Van Halen or anything. Just think of me as one of your friends."

"… If you say so." Elena said agreeing with him. He was right, he wasn't Eddy Van Halen. But people in the underground music groups like her might think of him like that.

-

Must people would think shopping with three girls would be the worst… Luckily Yuffie and Tifa were more that happy to carry there own stuff. Elena on the other hands made Reno and Rude carry her stuff. Cloud offered but Elena said Cloud's hands were too precious to be used to carrying clothes and jewelry. So much for what he told her earlier.

"Alright, where else are we going?" Cloud asked curiously and this time he actually wanted to help.

"The guitar store. I need to check on my order." Reno said trying to balance the boxes and bags of Elena's stuff. "I ordered a MXR Phase pedal and need to see if it came in yet."

Elena sighed and took her things from Reno. "Alright. We'll wait for you at the food court. We're done for now." She told him walking away followed silently by Rude.

"We'll see you when you get back." Tifa said following Elena. She really didn't want to the guitar store, at least not with her stuff.

Yuffie felt the same way, even though she had the least amount. She only bought a couple shirts and a bracelet. "Later…" She told him walking away from him.

"So much for traveling in groups." Reno said almost pouting. They said earlier that they would stay in groups, but now it seems they were abandoning him.

"Don't worry I'll go with you." Cloud said. He felt a little bad for his friend and it would be good to go and try out some guitars while he was there.

"Awesome." He said he said with a crocked smile. "Let's go."

-

There destination was in the back of a mall, a guitar store called Fantasy Music. Cloud noticed it was a fair sized guitar shop, but there were no Gibsons.

"They don't deal Gibson because of the cost and popularity." Reno explained. It was usually like that with small stores. "You'll have to settle playing with an Epiphone or a Fender."

"Alright." One thing Cloud noticed was an area that had a big variety of left handed guitars. He's never seen that before.

"That's why I love this store." Reno said getting Cloud's attention. "They sell more lefties than any others store does in Nibelheim."

"Wow." Was all Cloud could say. He hasn't seen any store sell that many lefties even in Midgar.

"I'm going to see if my pedal came in. Just grab a guitar and have fun." Reno told him as he made his way to the front desk where a middle aged made stood.

Cloud didn't know which guitar to take. He saw Epiphones, Fenders, Schecters, ESPs, Gretchs, and Jacksons. So, he just went with what looked most familiar to him, the Epiphone Les Paul Custom.

"I knew you grab that." Reno said scaring him. Cloud turned around and saw Reno without a bag or anything. "It hasn't come in yet."

"So we're leaving?" Cloud asked a little disappointed. He did want to play a little bit.

"Not a chance. I've been dying for the chance to jam with you since I heard you play at your house." Reno admitted as Cloud sat down. "I'm going to go grab myself a Schecter, wait here."

Cloud didn't have to wait long for Reno to return with a Schecter C-1 Blackjack. Cloud recognized it from last night when he checked out the website. They do make some pretty nice guitars, but he prefers Gibson still. "Ready?"

"Ready." Reno said playing a blues riff that he came up with. It was obvious that he came up with it on his own because Cloud couldn't recognize it at all.

Cloud was impressed but was able to come up with a rock riff that went with it perfectly.

Little did they know that they guy working there was listening to them the entire time. They weren't plugged up into any amps, but it was obvious that they were both talented.

When they both finished Reno looked at Cloud. He wasn't satisfied yet… "That's it, we're shredding. You start."

"Fine…" Cloud starting moving his fingers up and down the neck of the Epiphone he was playing at an incredible speed followed by fast picking.

It didn't take long for Reno to catch up to Cloud groove though as they were both shredding on the guitars at a speed they found comfortable but still amazing. The man behind the counter was blown away by the two boys playing in the store right in front of him.

They finished at exactly the same time and looked at the same time with the since of satisfaction. "No wonder Elena freaked out about you. You can even shred an Epiphone."

"These aren't that bad." Cloud said standing up to put it back where he got it. "I mean, it's very similar to my Gibson, but the neck isn't as comfortable."

"Yeah?" Reno asked getting up to put the Schecter he was playing back on its stand. "You really do have talent, Cloud."

"You both do." The man behind the counter said catching them both off guard. "I've never seen anyone play as you boys in all my days working here."

"Thanks…" Reno said not really knowing what else to say.

"Come back anytime and try out some of our models." The man said before looking at his computer.

"Okay…" Cloud said a little flattered but also a little scared.

"Well, the others are waiting for us." Reno said walking towards the door. "Let's go."

"Yeah…" Cloud agreed following him.

-

Later that day… Cloud just sat down on his bed and though back to everything that has happened. From meeting Elena to the jam session with Reno, but he forgot to do something… He forgot to write a song for the band!! So much for his reputation! He needed to get the inspiration to write something and fast.

He thought back to Yuffie with her wrist covered. Something wasn't right and he knew it. She needs help… That's it!! He's got his inspiration. Now to put it on paper…

End of Chapter 8

-

Author's Note: Elena is very OC I know, I did that on purpose because everyone else was to much in their original character so far. Forgive me for taking so long, that stupid sickness kicked in again and I was stuck spending most of my time in bed because I was in so much pain. Seriously, I couldn't even play my own guitar.


	9. Author's Note

I apologize for taking so long to update it this fic. To put it in writer's term… I hit a building made of writer's blocks on this fic. I'll try to get it back up as soon as I can. Again, I'm sorry to anyone who has this fic on Alert or Favorite.


End file.
